Ratchet & Clank 2: Nefarious's Revenge
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: Drek has been defeated, and Nefarious is gone, or so they think! Ratchet and Clank are called back to action when Qwark is framed for a crime, and Dr. Nefarious plans to create a world completely run by machines! Will Ratchet and Clank be able to stop this horror and free Qwark? Or is this where all of their adventures end? Sequel to the movie. Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Settling Down

**Ratchet & Clank 2: Nefarious's Revenge**

 **By: Phoenix Ride**

 **Ch.1: Settling Down**

Far away, deep within the Solana Galaxy, Elaris sighed as she moved the last box from her old room in the Galactic Rangers Headquarters, grateful that she was getting a real lab at last, not a broom closet where her colleagues would come in to mock her and tease her, destroying things just to let her know how nerdy she was.

Things had dramatically changed since last year when Ratchet and Clank had joined the force. Now that was an adventure Elaris was sure to never forget.

Elaris sighed as she let the memory of the event flow through her mind. On that day, their city had been in total chaos. An army of robotic soldiers had dropped down from the sky, their goal to eliminate the Galactic Rangers, cutting off the shield protecting innocent people's lives.

The battle seemed to be one-sided; with the robots having the rangers outnumbered a hundred to one. That's when Ratchet and Clank arrived, with the brilliant idea to magnetize the invading army, and use them as ammo to destroy the warship floating up above.

Immediately, the dup were praised as heroes, as they should be after a heroic stunt like that. Unfortunately, in the order of the almighty Galactic Rangers, not all heroes were treated the same.

Elaris wasn't too surprised when Clank got assigned to help her in the broom closet. The little robot was smart, declared a nerd, and even though he was the one who had rang the first warning about Chairman Drek's plot, he was to be given the same bullying torment that Elaris received.

It was times like this that Elaris understood why her previous successor, Dr. Nefarious, decided to leave. He had grown tired over the lack of respect he was shown, and became a villain just to pay back all of the insults he suffered in the past.

Elaris made a promise to herself that she would never become like Nefarious, although there were sometimes she was very tempted to try.

But now, she didn't have to worry about that anymore. Things had changed, and they were for the greater good.

Dr. Nefarious and Chairman Drek were both claimed to be deceased, the people of Novalis had some fortunate luck in finding a new planet to call home, after their previous one was destroyed thanks to the Deplanetizer, and Captain Qwark had finished up with his humility tour.

There was no telling where the Captain was now. Finding a new job maybe? Elaris knew that the Galactic Rangers weren't likely to allow him back so soon. Not after betraying them to join, and cause pain suffering across the universe. All for the glory huh? Some hero he turned out to be.

"There," said Elaris, setting her last box down in her shiny, new lab. She was all finally moved out. " This will be a great place to work. I just wish my assistant was still here."

"Clank" Elaris thought " I wonder what he is doing now."

Not to long after the universe was saved, the tiny robot had decided to return to Veldin, and live there with Ratchet, on standby, until another heroic act needed to be called.

From what Elaris had heard, the two were doing pretty well working as mechanics, and hopefully the peace would continue to last during the following days.

But if there was one thing Elaris knew, after years of working side by side with the Galactic Rangers, peace in the universe never did last for very long.


	2. Chapter 2: Best Friends

**Ch.2: Best Friends**

Meanwhile, on the desert-like planet Veldin, grunts could be heard echoing from Grim's workshop as Ratchet finished tightening the last of the bolts on a customer's ship before sliding out from underneath the vehicle, sweat clinging to his gold and striped fur.

"Heh, that should do it" said Ratchet, wiping the sweat off of his forehead " She's all ready for pick-up."

"Good" said Grim, standing near the garage door " I'll call Mr. North so that he came come and pick it up tomorrow. Don't do anything crazy while I'm gone."

"What me?" said Ratchet, smiling at his boss " Wouldn't dream about it."

Making a huff like he didn't believe a word Ratchet said, Grim turned around and walked straight into his office, leaving Ratchet alone with the ship. The moment Grim was gone, Ratchet looked over the ship, admiring its sleek design.

"Heh" said Ratchet to himself " it sure was a challenge to improve the grav-booster on this baby. Sure looks like a sweet-looking ride. You know…with a few upgrades here and there, I think I can make it more…,"

"Don't even think about it," a stern voice interrupted.

Knowing that he had been caught, Ratchet sighed as he turned around to see that Clank had returned with lunch from Galaxy Burger. The little robot's green eyes glowed, as he shook one finger at Ratchet in disapproval.

"That would be a most unwise choice" continued Clank " since your long list of misdemeanors is only beginning to disappear."

"Yeah, but it's just a little…," said Ratchet, before Clank interrupted.

"No,"

"Ugh, you're no fun you know that?" said Ratchet, as he walked over to take his burger from Clank " Fine, I won't do anything to the ship. I got something even better to show you anyway. Come on."

With that said, Ratchet started running up straight to his room, while Clank sighed and followed behind. Living with the Lombax sure had its challenges some days.

Ratchet's way of thinking was reckless and irrational, but Clank wouldn't have had it any other way. He had grown quite found of the young Lomabx's chaotic state.

Of course, back when they had first met each other, Clank didn't ever think they would become the close friends they were, although part of his robotic heart may have wished for it at the time.

After all, he was a defect, a mistake, meant to be destroyed within the first few seconds of his life.

Ratchet had saved him, fixed him, and helped him find the Galactic Rangers when the universe was at its greatest peril. Heck, he had even given Clank his name.

Clank owed a lot to Ratchet, and was determined to stay by his side, no matter what obstacles stood in the way.

Finally reaching the upper level where Ratchet's room was, Clank padded up to the bed where the Lombax sat, hiding something cupped in his hands.

"Is that what you want to show me?" asked Clank, pointing towards Ratchet's hands.

"Yeah" said Ratchet, with a nod " I've been working on it for a while. I just hope you like it Clank."

With that said, Ratchet un-cupped his hands and extended his reach towards Clank, leaving his present exposed. Clank looked at it with stunned eyes. It was a small picture frame made of metal that held a photo of one of the times Ratchet and Clank had been through this past year.

Specifically, that time when Ratchet decided to try out for the hoverboard races and beat Skid McMarks, the most famous hoverboarder the world ever known. Grim had taken the photo at the time.

Ratchet had fallen off his board at the end of the race, coming second while Skid took first. After that, both Clank and Ratchet had a small argument about what could have happened to cause Ratchet's fall, and some playful fighting ensued.

Clank smiled as his memory banks recalled the fun they had had on that day, but stood confused as he took the picture frame from Ratchet, wondering what the Lombax was giving him this for.

"Happy Birthday Clank," said Ratchet, once the gift was out of his hands.

"Birthday?" asked Clank, confused.

"Well yeah" said Ratchet " it's been a year since we met, and since you were basically created on the same day, it makes it your birthday right?"

Clank thought of it for a moment. True, he had been basically born the same day Ratchet rescued him from his exploding ship, so it made sense that his birthday would be today.

Yet, receiving this present somehow felt wrong, for there was no way Clank could ever repay it. He had no idea when Ratchet's birthday was, for the Lombax's origins were still a mystery to everyone he knew.

Even Grim, who had taken in the Lombax when he was very young when he tried to steal his hover-bike, giving him a home, and a job, and a name, that now everyone knew.

"Hmm" Clank wondered in his mind " maybe I can help him find out more about his family someday."

"Thank you" Clank stated out loud, tucking the picture into a compartment on his chest. " I wish I could give you something in return, but I…,"

"You already gave me something Clank" Ratchet interrupted, holding up a hand " so don't worry about it. I owed ya. Now how about we play some hologames? I call the good controller."

"I gave him something?" thought Clank confused, as Ratchet started setting up the system. " What did I give?"

What had the little robot possibly done to repay his friend's gift already? It didn't seem to make any logical sense to Clank, but just as he was about to crunch the numbers on what he had done, Ratchet's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey Clank" called Ratchet " are we playing or what?"

"Bring it on," said Clank, running over to his friend. He would save the mystery of his gift for another day.


	3. Chapter 3: A Dark Operation

**Ch.3: A Dark Operation**

Captain Qwark hated his new job. He had been very lucky to find one at all, considering his betrayal from the last year.

There was no way that his old team was going to let him rejoin the rangers anytime soon, even after that long humility tour he went on, apologizing to all the innocent people he had let down.

Agreeing to work for Chairman Drek had been one of the most horrible decisions in his life. And all for what? The money? The glory? The fame? Ratchet was right. All he would have been remembered for was to be traitor for everything good he once believed.

His new job, working as test dummy for Mega Corp products, was the perfect payback for his sins. He just wished the punishment was more gentle on his tendors.

"Ow,ow,ow!" cried Captain Qwark, as he limped his way into Al's lab.

Al was a longtime employee here at Mega Corp, working on all kinds of neat weapons and research things Qwark didn't understand. Sure he was a bit nerdy, but he was the only one who had tried to be nice to Qwark since he started this job, so he decided to let his bullying slide for now.

"So" said Al, when he saw Qwark come in " I assume that the testing went well?"

"Oh yes, yes!" said Captain Qwark, quickly removing his hands from his lower region " It was nothing my super-hero manliness couldn't handle! How are your little projects going?"

"Well" said Al, starting to explain " Mega Corp thinks they might found a way rise above their competition at Gadgetron. Something called the Proto-pet. But the experiment is extremely unstable, and would cause more harm than good if it was released."

"A dreadful thing I'm sure," said a voice suddenly coming in.

"Ah Lawrence" said Captain Qwark, as the robotic butler came in " Just in time! Did you remember my…,"

"Yes Sir" said Lawrence, handing over the cup of caffeine to Qwark " and here's an ice pack as well. I was sure you would go through some discomfort during that test."

"Ooo, thank you!" said Captain Qwark, before taking the items and running off, desperate to take advantage of the pack.

"Your welcome" said Lawrence to Qwark, and then turned to Al " I say Sir, if that pet is so dangerous why not simply destroy it and move on to other work?"

"But I'm so close to finding out a solution" said Al, turning back to his computer " I'm sure I can find it a cure for its violent tendencies before Mr. Fizzwidget…,"

Al's speech was interrupted when suddenly a hard smack slammed into his head from behind. Within seconds, the genius was knocked out, lying unconscious on the floor, while Lawrence moved in to pilfer the Proto-pet plans.

"Unfortunately" said Lawrence " Mr. Fizzwidget no longer owns the Proto-pet anymore. It belongs to Dr. Nefarious now."

Typing in a few keys, it wasn't long until Lawrence downloaded the entire plan to the Proto-pet design, and then slipped in an extra disc into the mainframe, that Nefarious had told him to plant, saying that things should get interesting soon.

Ah, it was a tough career being a butler to what people considered a long, dead madman, but everything had its perks. Lawrence had yet to find any in working for Nefarious, but was betting that all would change soon.

Once Nefarious's master plan moved into action.


	4. Chapter 4: Framed?

**Ch.4: Framed?**

The next morning began with a buzz as Ratchet was suddenly woken up by a worried Clank who said the Rangers needed to see them both at once.

"Ugh" yawned Ratchet, rising up from bed " What is it now?"

"It's Qwark" said Clank to the Lombax " apparently he has committed some type of crime. We've got to hurry."

* * *

"I was framed!" yelled Qwark, later down at the jail " I swear that I never tried to steal from Mega Corp, except for those free samples in the employees lounge. I may suffer from a low paying salary and cloud of distrust, but I'm not a bad guy anymore!"

"Maybe" said Cora, glaring at her former boss " but this tape here says different. It clearly caught you trying to rob the vault, of millions of dollars in bolts."

"And apparently something else too" said Brax, looking at the report " a Proto-whatever."

"Proto-pet" corrected Elaris " some sort of biological creature Mega Corp was developing to release to the public later this year. It's supposed to be the perfect playmate, but it still has a tendency to umm…eat its handlers."

"I don't know" said Ratchet " something like the Proto-pet doesn't seem like Qwark's style. Plus, he should know better than to try and be a villain again."

"Agreed" said Clank " something about this seems strange. I suggest we go back to the Mega Corporation and investigate further. Perhaps we might be able to find some evidence to free Qwark."

Captain Qwark practically beamed with joy at Clank's suggestion.

"Yes! Yes!" he shouted " Somebody believes! Thank you Clank! You clever, little robot you! I always knew there was something I liked about him!"

Ratchet sighed, putting a hand to his head, not buying Qwark's praise of Clank for a second, although he did agree with his best friend's idea.

"Me and Clank will go and check it out" Ratchet said to the other rangers " You three stay here in case anything else comes up. Come on Clank, let's go."

* * *

In a matter of moments, the two were at Mega Corp. As soon as they were, the company president, Mr. Fizzwidget, gave them permission to look around, granting them access to both the vault and the lab, so that the area could be open for clues.

Ratchet and Clank moved over to check the vault first, noting how odd it was for Qwark to have robbed this thing.

According to what they had learned so far about the case, before proceeding to Mega Corp to produce a more thorough investigation, Captain Qwark somehow got past the security lock that guarded the vault, and then exited carrying out with armfuls of money.

Soon after the crime discovered, he was found sleeping comfortably with the evidence in his room, and put a fight with the guards as he was bound in cuffs and dragged away, all the while saying that he was innocent of the entire crime.

"I don't know Clank" said Ratchet, after looking and spotting no evidence to prove Qwark's claim " Even if I have my doubts, it still seems pretty obivious that Qwark did this. I mean, you saw the tape Cora had before we left, it clearly showed Qwark robbing the vault."

"Yes" said Clank " but it only showed him exiting. My real question is, how did he manage to get inside?"

With that said, Clank moved outside of the vault to get a closer look at the locking mechanism. His green eyes glowed with determined force.

"Hmm" Clank finally said " Standard B-3 Beta Security, only to be bypassed by the keycards of certain employees. The last keycard shown to be used appeared sometime late, yesterday afternoon. Its number is L1D402."

"How does that help us?" asked Ratchet.

"We'll see" said Clank, stepping over to his friend " The timing of this keycard was just a few minutes before Qwark was accused of robbing the vault. If I can hack into the mainframe, I may be able to find whoever owns that keycard code."

"Then let's head over to the lab then" said Ratchet " see if Fizzwidget's scientist, Al, can help us there."

* * *

Moments later, the two heroes were inside the lab, seeing Al, who was still nursing the bruise on his head, from the unbelievable smack he had suffered the day before.

"Ah" he said, when Ratchet and Clank arrived " you two must be the rangers Mr. Fizzwidget called in. I'm sorry if I can't recall much, my head is still sore from being smacked yesterday."

"You were attacked?" asked Ratchet concerned.

"Yeah" said Al " Qwark came in, then left to go take care of himself after another painful lab test, leaving me alone when 'Wham!', I was knocked out cold on the floor. When I came to, the formula for the Proto-pet was gone."

"Yeah, we heard about that" said Ratchet " Clank and I think we may have found a clue. Can you use the computer and look up a keycard number for us?"

"Sure" said Al " just let me warm her up and give me the code."

"L1D402," said Clank.

Al typed it in, and waited for the computer to come up with results, which it soon did bringing a stunned look to the scientist's face.

"No, it can't be," said Al, and then a video popped up on screen.

Soon Lawrence, the robotic butler's face, could be made out clearly on the on the view screen.

"So sorry Sirs" the virtual Lawrence said " but I'm afraid my original employer has great plans for your Proto-pet design. Don't worry, I promise you shouldn't see any harm anytime soon, but for the Galactic Rangers that is another matter. I assure that Nefarious has dire plans for you."

With that said, the message ended, and the screen blacked, leaving Ratchet, Clank, and Al staring at it stunned. Ratchet and Clank immediately looked towards each other, the same worried thoughts bubbling in their minds.

Nefarious! He was back! But how? And why?

Right now, the answers didn't matter. What did was that he had returned. And if Nefarious was really still alive, doom was sure to come to them all.


	5. Chapter 5: Wicked Goals

**Ch.5: Wicked Goals**

"Nefarious alive?" said Brax unbelievably once Ratchet and Clank returned " That's impossible!"

"Yeah" said Cora, nodding her head " Wasn't he killed when the Deplanetizer blew up?"

"I don't know" said Ratchet " but according to Lawrence he's alive. He's the one responsible for stealing those Proto-pet plans."

"What about the vault robbery?" asked Elaris.

"We determined that Lawrence's keycard was used to access the vault moments before Captain Qwark arrived" said Clank " but I'm still afraid this is not enough evidence to free him from jail."

"Right" said Brax " there's still the matter of him stealing all the loot."

"My main concern is" said Ratchet, catching everybody's ear " what Dr. Nefarious plans to do with that Proto-pet design. From what Al told me and Clank, it isn't good. We have to be ready for the worst."

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the dark depths of an eerie-looking space station, the evil Dr. Nefarious gleered, his eyes glowing red in his new robotic form.

What a strange sensation it was to be a machine, yet wonderful and enhanced. In this form he was much more superior than in his old, 'squishy' way of life. He was more deadly, more powerful, and more than ready to take his revenge.

The sliding doors that led to the bridge of the space station opened, allowing Lawrence entrance to where his master currently did reside.

"Sir" said the butler to the now, robotic mad-man " the subject is ready for testing in Lab 1."

"Excellent" said Dr. Nefarious, standing up from his chair " let's just see what this Proto-pet can do."

Moments later, Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence stood outside of the viewing window of Lab 1, looking to see the robotic handlers handling the Proto-pet running and screaming for their life, trying to escape from the vicious creature chomping in behind them.

The Proto-pet may have looked small, cute, and fuzzy, but its appetite knew no bounds. Both Nefarious and Lawrence cringed, as they watched the vicious beast tear its robotic handlers apart.

Robotic parts and splattered oil, soon made a huge mess throughout the room. Dr. Nefarious grinned evilly at the carnage.

"Yes" the robot said, wringing his hands " the Proto-pet is perfect! But he'll prove even more deadly when I get through with him."

"Truly a genius idea Sir" said Lawrence, as he and his boss walked away from the lab " Should we move on to the next part of your plan?"

"Yes" said Dr. Nefarious with a sneer " Go and activate my slave. I have some business with Galactic Headquarters."

* * *

"Ugh! Gruel!" said Captain Qwark, pushing away his sloppy, prison food without even giving it a second glance. " Can't a former superhero at least get five star treatment around here?!"

Qwark had really hoped that Ratchet and Clank would have been able to prove his innocence by now. Prison no place for a macho-man like him. The criminals smelled, the food was terrible, and the fashion sense died out in 1991!

"No wonder why crooks keep trying to break out of this place," Qwark thought, but he refused to feel sympathetic, because in reality, they deserved it!

Suddenly, something strange came over Qwark, and his mind lost all sense to where he was. When he refocused his eyes, Qwark found himself inside of a burning building, with innocent people in striped suits calling out for help.

Dark monsters could be seen weaving themselves in and out through the flames, pointing down at the people to make sure they were trapped, preventing all from seeing their loved ones again.

"Not in my city!" thought Qwark, his heroic instincts kicking in.

Striking a heroic pose, Captain Qwark screamed and lunged to the nearest dark monster he could find, tackling him to the ground, completely unaware that he had just pinned a prison guard.

The prison guard choked and instantly called for backup while the prisoners, both confused and excited by the action, decided to rally behind Qwark, desperate to riot and kill.

They may have no idea why Qwark started it, they just followed the ex-hero's lead.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside of Galactic HQ, Ratchet and Clank were turned in for the night, deciding to spend the evening in the Hall of Heroes, instead of returning back Veldin after their day investigating Qwark.

Grim would understand. He couldn't keep Ratchet in his garage 24/7. The Lomabax was a ranger now. He had other responsibilities now. Besides, it wasn't like Grim would be completely without help.

He still had Zed, the former robotic minion of the infamous Chairman Drek to help him out down there. There was nothing to cause Ratchet to fear. Those two would be fine.

Soft snores echoed out from the Lombax's throat as he continued to sleep and dream. Clank snored too, but was quick to awaken when the sound of the emergency alarm suddenly caught his ear.

"Heh, what's that?" asked Ratchet groggily, sitting up soon after Clank arose.

The door to their room suddenly burst in, revealing a panicked Elaris bathed in a flashing red light.

"Elaris, what's wrong?" asked Ratchet, suddenly fully awake.

"It's Qwark!" said Elaris " He's attacking his prison guards!"

In a matter moments, Ratchet and Clank got themselves up and prepared to get geared. Cora and Brax were already way ahead of them, and flew towards the prison in order to stop Qwark.

After Ratchet strapped on his proto-suit, Clank hopped on, then they and Elaris chased after where Cora and Brax had run. However, before the trio could even manage to exit the Hall of Heroes the system locked down, sealing off all of the entrances and trapping them inside.

"Grr, what now?!" asked Ratchet, confused as to why they were suddenly trapped inside the base.

The sound of evil laughter coming from the speakers soon became his answer.

"Well, well" said Dr. Nefarious's evil voice "Good evening Galactic Zeroes! I hope you're all ready to die!"


	6. Chapter 6: Lethal Lockdown

**Ch.6: Lethal Lockdown**

"Where are the others?" asked Brax, once he and Cora managed to take off in their ships.

"Don't worry" Cora told her friend " They'll catch up with us. Right now, we need to stop Qwark!"

"Right," said Brax, agreeing over the com, knowing it was smart to take Cora's lead.

She was right. Ratchet and the others would be okay, and would catch up with them soon. What should worry them now was Qwark, and the chaos inside the jail.

Qwark needed to be stopped before anyone else got hurt. Pushing his throttle to the max, Brax blasted off, leaving all his worry about the others behind, following Cora in the danger zone up ahead.

* * *

Meanwhile, back inside of the ranger base, Ratchet, Clank, and Elaris were trying their best to get out of the danger zone, as the robotic, security defense systems chased them down.

With the whole base on lockdown, there was little choice for them to run, as lasers burned at their heels. Elaris quickly equipped herself and started blasting at some of the drones, while Ratchet managed to knock some silly with his Omni-wrench, but the ranger robots were tough, and clearly built for a fight. It would take a miracle in order for them to survive.

"How is Nefarious doing all of this?" Ratchet asked as they ran.

"He used to be a Galactic Ranger remember" said Elaris " so obviously he knows the defense system pretty well, even though I have tried hard to improve it since he went rouge."

"Ratchet!" said Clank "Make a left turn up ahead,"

Following Clank's advice, Ratchet quickly turned left, ducking into an open room, which Elaris was quick to seal the door once they were inside. The sound of robot guards passed by where the doors were closed, and the trio of heroes could breathe a sigh of relief that they were safe, for now.

"This is impossible!" said Ratchet, looking around as Clank hopped off his back " There's to many of them, and we're trapped in here. We need to find a way to stop Nefarious so that we can go help Cora and Brax."

"The control room might be able to shut the defenses down" said Elaris " but there's no way you and I can make it to there."

"But perhaps I might," said Clank, looking up to a ventilation shaft.

Ratchet immediately realized Clank's plan and was quick to refuse.

"No Clank, it's to dangerous" said Ratchet " What if something happens and you get hurt?"

"My systems can be repaired" said Clank " but you and Elaris are in danger the longer we stay in this room. Eventually, the robot guards will find us. I must do this Ratchet, you know this."

"I know" said Ratchet " but I don't have to like it,"

"Here, I'll give you a boost," said Elaris, lifting Clank up to the open ventilation shaft.

Soon the robot crawled inside, while Elaris and Ratchet both shared twin grins of worry.

"Be careful Clank," said Ratchet to his friend.

"I will," said Clank, and continued on his own.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the prison, Brax and Cora finally arrived to help the all the prison guards quiet down the riot. Several of the fine officers had already been injured, and Brax and Cora were amazed by the number of prisoners that ran amok.

A few of the smarter criminals quickly recognized who the rangers were the moment they arrived, and turned to flee back to their cells where they would be safe. The dumber ones however, thought they could stand up to Brax and Cora in a fight. They were quickly proven wrong.

One…two….a dozen criminals went down! Soon, Brax and Cora could see the infamous mug who had started all this madness, Captain Qwark.

Quickly stopping him from punching another guard, Brax and Cora lunged, dragging their former boss to the ground. Qwark struggled with all his might, straining Cora and Brax's strength to their threads.

Nonsense was flying out of the deluded Captain's mouth. Stuff about monsters, and fire, and how innocent people needed to be saved.

"What happened to you Qwark?" thought Brax.

The Captain's crazy laugh was his only reply.

* * *

Back at Galactic Ranger Headquarters, Clank let out a sigh of relief as he finally made his way out of the ventilation ducts and into the control center for the ranger base.

He had to work fast, who knows how much time Elaris and Ratchet still had to endure. Running up to the computer, Clank instantly jumped up and started tapping away at the keys, hacking into the defense network to hopefully shut the whole system down.

Dr. Nefarious's work didn't make the job easy, but eventually Clank was able to forge ahead, and breathed a sigh a relief when the green light came on, indicating that everything was now okay.

"Success" said Clank, then used the com-signal to inform Elaris and Ratchet " Defense systems disabled. All security droids are now offline. You should have clear sailing to the hangar where we can meet Brax and Cora. I'll join you as soon as I can."

"Thanks Clank!" said Ratchet over the line " We'll see you there!"

With that said, Clank turned the com off, and then went to exit the room through the front door since he no longer needed to fear about the security bots roaming outside. However, as soon as the little robot opened the door, horror came to greet his eyes as an unfamiliar robotic villain stood in way.

"Ha!" laughed Nefarious reaching out his metal "Thanks for deactivating the defenses for me. Now Clank, you'll come with me."


	7. Chapter 7: Clank's Misfortune

**Ch.7: Clank's Misfortune**

"Alright, we're here!" said Ratchet, jumping into a ship as soon as he and Elaris reached hangar "Let's get this started so that when Clank arrives we can…,"

The Lombax's speech was suddenly interrupted when Brax's voice came out of his now active ship's com-line.

"Brax to base, Brax to base" sounded the Galactic Ranger's voice " Anyone there? Over."

"Ratchet here" Ratchet responded, pressing a button on the com " What's your status Brax?"

"Prison riot detained" said Brax "and Captain Qwark has been secured. Something screwy is going on with his head. He thought all of the guards were monsters, and that the prison was up in flames. They're taking him to the psych ward right now."

"Wow" said Elaris amazed " This seems to be more serious than we thought."

"Do you and Cora still need back-up there?" asked Ratchet.

"Nah, I think we're cool" said Brax " but what's been taking you guys so long?"

"We had a little trouble here at base, but we'll explain all once you get back" said Ratchet " See you later Brax. Ratchet out."

With that said, Ratchet turned off the com, and jumped out of the ship, landing next to Elaris, instantly catching the concerned look on her face. The female alien was looking back towards the entrance of the hangar, still expecting someone to come dashing through the door.

"This is odd" said Elaris " Clank should have been here by now."

"He still hasn't shown up?" asked Ratchet surprised.

"No" said Elaris, shaking her head " and I'm getting worried. With the defenses down, he should have had no trouble getting in here, unless…,"

"Let's go check it out," said Ratchet, and immediately he and her went out to search for Clank.

The first place they checked was the control room, to see if Clank was somehow still there. No dice, it was completely clean, without any sign of their robotic friend.

The whole base was searched after that, but with each empty room, their hope for finding Clank dwindled more and more. Contacting him proved to be impossible too, with nothing but static on the other end of the line.

Ratchet's worry only served to increase his level of fear. Where had Clank gone? Was he alright? And most importantly, did Dr. Nefarious have anything to do with this?

* * *

"Ugh" groaned Clank, as his green eyes flashed open, waking up to unfamiliar surroundings " Where am I? Ratchet?" He called the last question out hopefully.

"You're Squishy friend isn't here Clank" said Dr. Nefarious, stepping boldly out of the shadows " I am!"

"Who are…," Clank started to ask, before being interrupted.

"It's me!" said the robot villain " Dr. Nefarious! Of course you would probably have a hard time recognizing me after what your friend Ratchet has done."

"Nefarious?" said Clank stunned " But how did you become…"

"A machine?" Nefarious stated " After our last encounter, I was made superior, robbed of all my fleshy parts, free to rule as the most notorious villain this galaxy has ever seen."

"And" he continued " it's all thanks to friend. But I have plans to pay him back for all he has done."

"I will not allow that to happen!" said Clank, struggling against the binds that held him to his chair.

"You won't have a choice" said Nefarious, leaning down to get on eye level with Clank " I created you! You were meant to destroy! And I'll use every painful treatment possible to unlock the evil within."


	8. Chapter 8: A Missing Heart

**Ch.8: A Missing Heart**

"Clank! Clank!" Ratchet screamed in his mind.

Those were the thoughts that were going through the young Lombax's head as he rested uncomfortably in his bed at Galactic HQ. His green eyes were open wide, unable to close, and fight the worry that was consuming his soul.

His best friend was gone, kidnapped by a mad villain that should have been long dead. Nefarious, how dare he attack their base and then just steal Clank away!

Ratchet could feel the heat rise as he let his anger burn, but knew that he needed to calm down and think.

It just felt so empty without Clank by his side. Lonesome and troubling. The little robot had been Ratchet's first real friend.

Grim didn't really count since he was more like the adoptive father type, but Clank was someone Ratchet really could consider calling a pal. Heck, if he had never met that machine in the first place, his dream of finally becoming a Galactic Ranger would have never come true.

Ratchet owed a lot to Clank, and now his friend was in danger. The Lombax was determined to do anything to get him back.

Suddenly, Ratchet's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened up and Elaris entered the room. The female scientist had been up working late, searching for any clues about Clank after Brax and Cora returned, and everyone went to bed.

By the look in her eyes, something urgent had come up. Something that all of the rangers needed to see.

Seconds later, Ratchet and the others were gathered in the briefing room, while Elaris took the podium and spoke.

"I just received word from the prison" said Elaris " They think they might of found the reason to why Qwark went mad."

With that said, she put a picture on the large viewscreen.

"What is that?" Ratchet asked.

"Some sort of nano-control bug" said Elaris " the psychiatrists found this on Qwark while escorting him to a padded cell. It took them a while to discover what it was, and what it was able to do."

"And that would be?" asked Brax.

"Make whoever is infected with the bug delusional, and subjective to the operator's full control," said Elaris.

"So, you're telling us" said Cora " whoever's behind that bug had complete control of Qwark."

"Yes" said Elaris "This seems to explain his reaction at the prison, and may also explain why he remembered taking no money from the Mega Corp vault."

"Something that advanced just has to have Nefarious's name on this" said Ratchet, slamming his hands down as his gaze intensed "Elaris, any chance you can trace back the owner of that bug?"

"Sure," answered Elaris.

"Good" said Ratchet " because if it does belong to Dr. Nefarious, then we can go and save Clank, before stomping his plan to the ground."

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Dr. Nefarious's evil space station, Lawrence sighed as he entered the room where Clank was currently being bound and chained. The little robot certainly seemed a little worse for wear, his circuits having been fried after going through Nefarious's torment all day long.

Clank's system was completely shut down now, his big, green eyes turning black as he slipped into the comfort of a dark sleep.

"His will is strong" thought Lawrence, checking to make sure the chains were still locked before he walked out of the room " but how much longer can he last?"

Inside his mind, Clank was wondering the same thing. It felt as if his soul, if robots had any, had completely separated away from his body, floating adrift in a darkness that lingering in the depths between two worlds. One world in which the good was slowly fading away.

"You're my creation Clank" whispered Dr. Nefarious's evil voice, echoing through the dark " You were designed to destroy. It is your destiny! You will help me in getting my revenge."

"No! No!" said Clank, shaking his head " I will never do that! Ever!"

"You already killed once" mocked Nefarious's voice "You can do it again."

"Victor," Clank thought out loud.

The robot that had been sent to destroy him once his defect nature was revealed. The massive, red machine had made it his personal mission to destroy Clank, even going as far to board the Phoenix to make sure that he was dead.

Clank had no choice but to defend himself with the storm. His and Elaris's lives were both on the line. Even if he didn't intend for Victor to die, the resulting blood slaughter if he didn't take action would have no doubt been worse.

"But you still killed him. Defect or not, 'Warbot' is in your name."

And indeed, that old name was still a reason for Clank's nightmares.

What would have happened if he wasn't a defect at all? Serving as Drek intended, and started killing the Galactic Rangers from the start?

He would no longer be a hero then. Drek and Nefarious would have gotten away with the entire destruction of worlds. And worst of all, Ratchet would have never become his friend.

In fact, the Lombax could have become a victim to Clank's own guns. The very thought of that kill, made the robot cringe.


	9. Chapter 9: Battle On The Space Station

**Ch.9: Battle On The Space Station**

"Beep…Beep…Beep," went the sound of Ratchet's computer as he and the Galactic Rangers flew off, tracking Dr. Nefarious down with the tracking device Elaris had made.

Elaris's trace-back loop on the bug was working to perfection, and as the beeping sound steadily increased, Ratchet knew that they just had to be just a few hundreds of feet from Nefarious's evil lair.

"Hold on Clank" Ratchet thought in his mind " I'll be there to rescue you soon."

"I think we're here," said Elaris's voice a few moments later.

It didn't take a wild guess to find out soon that the scientist was right. Standing out against the darkness up ahead, a large, wicked-looking space station suddenly came into view.

This place definitely gave you a nine chill on the creepy meter, and was no doubt loaded with tons of traps. Danger or no, that's where they needed to head. This is where they would find Clank.

As expected, anti-ship turrets fired the moment they got to close to the space station, and it took a lot of quick maneuvering and fine aim to avoid the laser blasts.

"We need an entry point now!" said Ratchet to Elaris, as he, Cora, and Brax continued to battle against the laser assault.

"The west side seems to be clear" said Elaris, responding to Ratchet's demand " I think you can get in through that way, but there's no telling what you'll find inside when you do."

"I'll take my chances" said Ratchet, turning his ship to the west " Cora, Brax, you take of things out here. I'm going in to find Clank."

Elaris's prediction turned out to be right on the money as Ratchet noticed an open port on the space station's left side. Gliding the ship in, Ratchet parked his craft down before hopping out, his proto-suit in full gear as he looked around.

A blaster lay ready, clutched in his hands, ready to blast anyone who tried to stand in his way and stop him from saving his best friend's life.

An evil pair of eyes had watched the Lomabx's moment of arrival.

"Shall I alert the guards Sir?" said Lawrence, looking towards his boss.

"Yes" said Dr. Nefarious, grinding his hands " Alert them, and lead that Lombax to me."

Complying with the request, Lawrence immediately pushed the alarm button, making Ratchet jump with alert as he knew that he was suddenly about to suffer from an enemy attack.

Soon, a horde of robot guards showed up, blasting left and right as Ratchet dodged and quickly countered, pushing his way through.

Ratchet was still one of the worst shots when it came to the Galactic Ranger's guns, but he still managed to strike a few lucky blows here and there, shattering guards to pieces as he went.

Luck however, didn't amount to very much, as you were trying hard not to get killed by dozens and dozens of robotic drones.

Searching for a safer area where he could probably escape and rest for bit, Ratchet ran straight before suddenly veering off to the left, entering a large chamber, with the robots still on his tail.

As soon as the Lomabx entered this new room, heavy, metal doors slammed down behind, cutting off the angry drones from giving out a few more shots.

A big sigh of relief escaped from Ratchet's mouth as he just stood there and breathed, telling his heart to slow down. For the moment now, he was safe, but Ratchet knew his peace couldn't last for very long.

"Ratchet, what's your status?" asked Elaris's voice, coming in over Ratchet's comm. The Lombax pressed a hand to his ear to answer.

"I'm okay" said Ratchet to Elaris " Had a little trouble with Nefarious's guards, but I'm safe for now."

"Safe?" mocked an evil voice suddenly booming into the room " Oh my dear Ratchet, you are far from that!"

Releasing his link to Elaris, Ratchet looked up with surprise as an array of five TV screens suddenly descended down from the ceiling above. Once they were in place, their monitors lit up with a blaze, soon displaying Dr. Nefarious's evil face.

"Nefarious!" Ratchet growled once the villain appeared.

"And a very special guest," said Nefarious, stepping aside. Now Ratchet could see what stood behind the robot crook. His eyes and mouth gasped open with horror.

"Clank!" yelled Ratchet, unable to believe the state of his robotic friend.

His poor, little pal was bound and chained, looking like he had most of his circuits fried. His head was down, and there appeared to be no life glowing in his eyes. Ratchet could feel his rage increase in strength, as the doctor covered up that gruesome image once more.

"What did you do to him?!" the Lomabx growled.

"Whatever I wished" gloated Nefarious with a laugh " Come and save him if you dare, but you're already to late! You will never escape from here alive."

"In twenty minutes" he continued " this whole place will explode, taking you and your robot chum with it. And just to sweeten up the taste of your death, here's a little preview for what I have planned for the Solana Galaxy's destruction. See you later Ratchet. NOT! Hahahaha!"

With that said, the villain finally signed off and the TV's went blank. Seconds later, Ratchet could hear a computer voice call…

"Self-destruct sequence meant to commence in T-minus twenty minutes."

"I gotta run," thought Ratchet, sprinting towards the hallway where he hoped it would lead to where Clank would be.

As he ran though, a giant roar suddenly caught his ears, stopping him cold.

"What was that?" asked Ratchet, immediately looking around for the source.

The Lomabx soon had his answer as a giant version of Proto-pet suddenly appeared. The blue, fuzzy creature was at least the size of a small star cruiser, and its eighty teeth looked sharp and ready to bite.

So this is what Dr. Nefarious was planning for the Proto-pet design. Ratchet had to admit from how fearsome the beast looked, it didn't look like he stood any form of chance at all.

"Time to go out with the heavy artillery," Ratchet thought, attaching the annihilator to his hand.

A fierce battle soon commenced, with Ratchet pulling whatever slick trick he knew just to stay alive.

With the help of some useful spheres hanging from above, Ratchet was able to swing his way to higher ground and fire off a few blasts, before the Proto-pet jumped up in order to bit him off his perch.

After about two rounds, there was no higher ground left to cling to, and Ratchet found himself through the nearest door. The Proto-pet didn't take long to follow behind, crouching into a ball and bowling after Ratchet as the Lombax sprinted down the hall.

Spying another floating sphere, Ratchet swing-shotted his way out of the Proto-pet's path, and rose up above the beast as it continued to bowl under him.

He was on a higher platform now, with huge blot standing right next to him, being begged to be screwed in. Ratchet immediately got out his wrench and got work, just as the creature realized that his target was no longer in sight.

With that the creature came charging back, but by that time, Ratchet had finished with work.

As soon as the Proto-pet re-entered the room, a deep abyss was waiting to meet it, and the monster fell, three stories towards the space station floor.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, and knowing that their couldn't be much countdown time left, Ratchet steadily made his way up to the bridge, and ran around until he finally found Clank's room.

"Clank!" Ratchet yelled, as he entered the dimly lit interior, his growing softer with concern as he looked upon the state of his robotic pal. " Clank! Come on, wake up! Oh buddy…How could they do this to you?"

Tears threatened to escape from Ratchet's eyes as he slowly undid the binds holding Clank, and scooped up the tiny robot in his arms. His friend never looked so…worn and weak.

Time stood still in that moment, as Ratchet gently held Clank in his arms, but Dr. Nefarious's timer was still counting down, and Elaris's voice popped in to remind Ratchet.

"Ratchet, you only got two minutes to get out of there! You got to go now!"

Knowing that Elaris was right, Ratchet snapped out of his daze, and started running around back to where his ship was stored.

The space station jolted and crumbled around him, but the Lomabx was determined to keep his pace.

With barely enough time to past, Ratchet finally made it to his craft, dropping Clank in the passenger's seat, before hopping in and commanding the ship to fly.

They made it out without a moment to spare, as the space station exploded with glory behind them.

"Are you okay Ratchet?" asked Brax, his ship being the closest to see Ratchet get out.

"Yeah" said Ratchet " and I've got Clank. We're both going to be alright."

But as Ratchet looked again at the state of his friend, he wondered if that really was the truth. Who knows what kind of pain and torment the little robot had suffered, or even if he could be repaired?

"No!" said Ratchet, shaking the morbid thought out of his head. " We can fix him! I know we can! I'm not going let Clank die!"

Tears escaped from Ratchet's eyes at the very thought.


	10. Chapter 10: Dark Circuity

**Ch.10: Dark Circuity**

Later, back at Galactic Headquarters, the mood was solemn as Elaris pushed herself to work in her lab, aware of the restless souls that lay worried outside, nervous about any news of Clank's fate.

Elaris was nervous too, looking down to the tiny, beaten robot that lay blacked-out on her long, lab table.

Who would have thought when she finally got a new lab, this would be her first project to work. Repairing Clank, her assistant's systems, and bringing him back from the dead.

There was no telling the torture the robot suffered through, but the result and the damage was clear.

"I can't give up," said Elaris, twisting another bolt with her wrench.

A few more tweaks, and he would be well again. A few more tweaks, and those lovely, green eyes would glow once more.

A few more tweaks, Clank would be alive, and the rain of tears could finally end.

Meanwhile, just outside of Elaris's new lab, the Galactic Rangers sat impatiently, waiting around for any news.

Brax got up and started pacing the floor, thinking a little exercise might help him calm down, while Cora and Ratchet just sat in their chairs.

Many times, Ratchet caught his green eyes gazing towards the door of Elaris's lab, locked from within to prevent any outside distractions from interfering with her work.

"Please Clank…" Ratchet thought in his head " Please be okay."

Finally, after what seemed like days, the doors to the lab opened and Elaris stepped out, with a tired smile of relief painted on her face.

"Come on in," she said to the other Galactic Rangers, motioning for them all to come inside.

"He's rebooting" said Elaris, once she and the others had all gathered around Clank " He should be waking up any…,"

Her sentence was interrupted when the green eyes of the little robot suddenly began to flicker back to life, and Clank sat up, a little weary and confused.

"Uh…where am I?" were the robot's first words when he entered back into the world.

The Rangers around him just laughed, and Ratchet moved in to trap Clank in a hug. Tears of joy fell from the Lombax's eyes, glad that his best friend had returned.

"I'm glad you're okay pal," said Ratchet.

Clank's sensors were still trying to take this all in. Why was Ratchet hugging him? How did he get back to the Ranger base? Wasn't he a prisoner moments ago on Nefarious's spacecraft?

"Me too" said Clank, looking down at Ratchet, as the Lomabx finally released him from the hug " but how did I get…,"

Carefully the Rangers began to explain their assault on Nefarious's space station, having used the control the villain planted on Qwark to trace where the base was.

Clank was told that he had suffered massive damage, and that when Ratchet found him he wasn't even online. It had taken hours for Elaris to repair his circuits, and they were all just relieved that he was alive.

"How do you feel?" Elaris asked.

"A little strange" admitted Clank " like all my circuits have been rewired. I faintly recall suffering through much pain. Dr. Nefarious was trying to get me on his side."

"That won't happen again Clank!" said Ratchet, putting his hands on his friend's shoulders " We're going to take Nefarious down!"

"We have to" said Cora " otherwise his Proto-pet project is going to devour us all."

"Right" said Elaris, agreeing with Cora " if what Ratchet faced on the space station was any indication, Dr. Nefarious's plan will soon have the Solana Galaxy all doomed. Huh, if only we knew more about the creature's weaknesses."

"Bet that Fizzwidget guy could cook something up," said Brax, crossing his arms.

"Hey, you're right!" said Ratchet suddenly getting an idea " Mr. Fizzwidget designed the Proto-pet in the first place, he must know what its weak spot is. Me and Clank can go back to Mega Corp to figure it out! That is….if you're up for another trip buddy. If you need to stay here and rest some more, it'll be…,"

"I'll be fine" said Clank, getting up " I shall help in any way I can."

With that decided, Ratchet and Clank soon made their way back to Mega Corp Industries. When they finally arrived, they found that Mr. Fizzwidget's attention was already occupied by a frustrated young lady with purple skin, black hair, and pointed tail. She seemed very upset, and the duo was concerned as to why.

Getting closer, they could soon understand the gist of the conversation.

"A rotten piece of junk and…!"

"Oh Hi!" interrupted Mr. Fizzwidget, noticing as Ratchet and Clank approached him and his friend. "Don't mind the discussion we're having here boys. Ms. Tawlyn is simply upset that one of Mega Corp products didn't function as well as advertised."

"Try it took forever to build and broke!" said Tawlyn " I bet the people working at Gagdetron never made such flimsy tools."

"Heh, while Miss I'm offended!" said Mr. Fizzwidget " We only offer the best in the latest hardware."

"Tell that to your Electro-tron," said Talywn.

"And who are you guys?" she asked, turning towards Ratchet and Clank.

"My dear this Ratchet and uh…Klunk" said Mr. Fizzwidget, answering the question for the pair " They're rangers who were here a few days ago to solve the mystery on who had robbed my vault."

"Oh I see" said Tawlyn, peering at Ratchet closely " a Lombax? Hmm…I didn't think they existed anymore, not since the devastation on Fastoon. And robot named Klunk, interesting."

"Actually" Clank corrected, looking at Tawlyn " it's Clank mam, and what do you mean by devastation on Fastoon?"

"Oh come on" said Tawlyn, pointing to Ratchet "He's a Lombax and he can't even tell you the history about his kind?"

"What history? What are you talking about?" said Ratchet, genuinely confused.

"Look" said Tawlyn " I really I wish I had more time to chat, but I have to head back to Apogee. Come there if you feel like it any time soon. Ciao."

And in the next few moments, she ran out and was gone.

After a few minutes of silence, Ratchet decided to focus back on the situation at hand.

"Mr. Fizzwidget" he said " we need to know more about the Proto-pet. How can we calm down its violent tendencies? Is there any way to make it tame?"

"Not that I know of" said Mr. Fizzwidget " We did have a former employee who tried to resolve the situation, but there was a terrible accident and I had to let her go. Poor kid, but there was no choice. She took to many great risks with science."

"Do you know her name?" asked Clank.

"Sure" said Mr. Fizzwidget " Angela Cross. I got her home address in my office over here. Let me go fetch it, and you can see her for yourself."

"Great" said Ratchet, as the Ceo walked away " if this Angela can help us out, we may be able to put an end on all of Nefarious's plans."

"I wouldn't count on that," whispered a dark voice, echoing inside of Clank's mind. This caused the little robot to jump and blink with surprise.

Where had that thought come from? And why did it sound so evil and mean?

Surely his circuits could never be thinking of double-crossing Ratchet and the ranger team? He was out of Nefarious's grasp now!

Yet, the dark echo still lingered, sending shivers down the robot's vacant spine.


	11. Chapter 11: Run To Veldin

**Ch.11: Run To Veldin**

"Brr!" said Ratchet, as soon as he and Clank stepped out of the ship and onto Angela Cross's home world. "It's really cold out here."

"Agreed" said Clank " even my heating units are having trouble keeping me warm with all this snow. We must head into town and find Angela fast."

"Let's move then," said Ratchet, lifting Clank onto his back, and then the robot and the Lombax headed towards town, looking for the apartment where Angela resides.

The city was large, and it proved at once that it would difficult in finding the address.

After getting lost for a bit, and taking in a few sights from the snow-covered town, Ratchet and Clank finally found someone to stop for and ask directions, a plumber, who was busy at work trying to fix a frozen pipe.

"Uh excuse me Sir" said Ratchet to the plumber, making him turn around.

The big grey and black spiked oaf looked annoyed for a second, before shifting into relief once he recognized Ratchet and Clank.

"Oh it's you boys" said the Plumber " about time you got around here. This pipe is giving me all sorts of trouble. I'm having difficulty getting through all that ice. Help me get rid of it, and I'll help you guys a little, what do you say?"

Figuring that they wouldn't get their directions otherwise, Ratchet and Clank started to help out the Plumber with the pipe.

The ice caked onto the metal had to be at least a foot thick, and the turning valve proved very difficult to move. Breaking the ice was almost impossible. What they needed was a quick thaw, but how could they accomplish that in all this cold?

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Clank's mind.

"Ratchet, the Combuster," he said.

"Right," said Ratchet, immediately getting what the little robot was talking about.

Quickly calling the weapon into his hand, Ratchet equipped the Combuster, set it to low, and then aimed it pipe, melting away the ice with a few blasts of a soft burn.

A smile lit up on the Plumber's face once the pipe was defrosted.

"Thanks boys" said the Plumber " you know sometimes you have to take things slow to reach the heart that lies inside. Angela's house is up that alley and two turns to the left. Take care of yourselves boys. I mean that. Especially for you."

Why did Clank have the feeling that the Plumber was specifically referring to him in that last sentence? The handyman acted like he almost had complete knowledge of the future, but that couldn't be, could it?

"Nah," the robot thought, and decided to put his suspicions to the side for now.

Heading where the Plumber told them to look, he and Ratchet soon found the address that Mr. Fizzwidget gave them, and started knocking Angela Cross's house door.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and the former Mega Corp employee stepped out. When she did however, Ratchet and Clank's gazes widened with shock. Angela Cross almost looked very similar to that of a Lombax.

Was it possible for a member of Ratchet's species to live way out here? Sure there were a few distinct differences between their appearance. Angela was taller for one thing, but still sported the same yellow and brown-striped fur. Her ears were shorter as well, and a long piece of hair twirled from the back of her head, almost reaching down to her shoes.

Did female Lombax's look like this? Neither Ratchet or Clank knew, so Ratchet spoke out the question that he kind of hoped was true.

"Wait Angela… you're…you're a Lombax?"

"Um…no…" said Angela, staring at Ratchet strangely "Who are you guys anyway? And how did you know my name?"

"Pardon me miss" said Clank " we don't mean to be rude. His name is Ratchet and I am Clank. Excuse us for the confusion, but you do look like as if belong to the Lombax race."

"A Lombax?" said Angela curiously " Well, I guess my species does look sort of similar to their kind, but I promise you I'm not one of them. I wasn't born and raised on Fastoon, and rumors say there was a tragedy that wiped out…,"

"Tragedy? What tragedy?" said Ratchet stunned.

"I don't know" said Angela " I'm not a historian. Now why are you two here again?"

Bringing things back to the subject at hand, Ratchet and Clank immediately informed Angela about the Proto-pet and Nefarious's evil plans for the beast. The female's green eyes opened up wide.

"Mr. Fizzwidget that you working on a way to stop it" said Ratchet " so, is there any chance that your method will work."

"Maybe" said Angela " I took it with me after Mr. Fizzwidget let me go. It should have most of the bugs worked out, but it's not a 100% guarantee that it will stop the Proto-pet."

"We'll have to take that chance" said Ratchet " Give it to us, and we'll take it away. If there are any tweaks to be modified, I'm sure Elaris and Clank will figure out."

Nodding her agreement, Angela went back inside her apartment and later came out with the device that would hopefully stop the Proto-pet. Handing it over to Ratchet, she wished both him and Clank luck, and the two Galactic Rangers left, with the key to the salvation of the universe in their hands.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Galactic Headquarters, Cora, Elaris, and Brax were waiting patiently for Ratchet and Clank to return, hoping that the duo had managed to get useful information from Mr. Fizzwidget so that they could stop Nefarious's plan.

"Uh" said Brax, getting bored with the wait " When are they getting back already?"

"Calm down Brax" said Cora " I'm sure they'll be back soon…"

Her speech was suddenly interrupted when an alarm sounded out from the control. Immediately the three rangers sprinted their way there, and Elaris jumped onto the computer, typing away at the keys.

"It's a distress signal!" the scientist said " Isolating the emergency call now!"

The name of the planet popped up, along with a video of a frightened robot screaming for help on the other side.

"Help! Help! We're under attack! Grim's in trouble! Get your keisters down here right now!"

Just like that, the video cut off, leaving the Galactic Rangers looking stunned. Elaris was first person to snap out of her daze, and quickly reached down for the com-link on her control board.

Ratchet was not going to like the sound of this.

* * *

"Hmm," said Clank, studying the device that Angela gave them as Ratchet steered the ship back towards HQ.

It was quite an intriguing little device designed to siphon off negative energy so that anything that was to aggressive or violent would settle down instantly into perfect. An ingenious method for controlling the Proto-pet, but like the female suggested, still had some issues to work out.

"When we get back, maybe I…,"

Clank's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Elaris's voice broke in urgently on their radio wave.

"Ratchet! Clank! Please respond!"

"What's wrong Elaris?" asked Ratchet, pressing a button to answer the call.

"Emergency! Veldin! Under attack! Grim! Hurry now!"

"Got it!" said Ratchet, veering the ship sharply until it was headed for home.

If Veldin was under attack, Ratchet just had to be there. He just wished could stay alive until he arrived, and prayed in his heart that it wasn't already to late.


	12. Chapter 12: A Grim Terror

**Ch.12: A Grim Terror**

"Gugh!" Grim grunted as he finished work on what must have been the seventh space car he had worked on today.

He was getting to old for this line work. It was helpful to have someone young like Ratchet on hand, who could take care of the jobs Grim couldn't handle anymore. Spefically becuase they caused terrible aches in his back.

Heck, the young Lombax's progress as a mechanic had even improved the moment Clank came to join them in the garage. To bad those two had their duties as Galactic Rangers to contend with this time.

Things had been quiet for a whole year now, what could have possibly changed to disturb the balance now?

Nevertheless, Grim knew that it must be something important, and if his two best mechanics had to go, he wished them good luck on their trip.

"Means I'll have to work double time" thought Grim " but I've flown solo before. And Zed's a bit of a help even though he's new to this working thing."

However, as Grim carried on peacefully with his tinkering thoughts, little did the large, purple beast know, that floating up high in Veldin's upper atmosphere, danger lurked as Dr. Nefarious's ship descended lower and lower to the desert planet's surface.

A wicked grin curled up on Dr. Nefarious's face.

"It's time" said Nefarious " Lawrence! Release the Proto-pets!"

"Right away Sir," said Lawrence, pulling the lever, and moments later, hundreds of Proto-pets rained down on Veldin, signaling the planet's doom.

* * *

By the time Ratchet and Clank finally arrived, not far behind the other Galactic Rangers, the scene on Veldin was pure chaos as dozens of Proto-pets hopped around left and right, devouring anything in their path.

The sight was gruesome as they flew in from above. Brax and Cora were already hovering down on the ground, trying to blast the creatures away with their guns.

As expected, the weapons seemed to have very little effect, and Clank busied himself examining the device Angela had made.

If only he could it functioning, this entire terror could cease. But until then, the lives of hundreds of innocents were in danger, including that of Ratchet's adoptive father Grim.

Worriedly, the young Lomabx's green eyes scanned over the chaos, settling down on the garage that had become his home over the years.

He had had a hard enough time dealing with Clank, if Grim got hurt as well…

Anger boiled in Ratchet's blood as he couldn't allow himself to even finish those thoughts.

Raising the roof on his spaceship, Ratchet asked Clank if he was ready, before grabbing the robot, and then jumping down to the ground below.

Activating hover-pack mode, Ratchet gently glided down to where all of the Proto-pets surged, and started blasting away with his guns, clearing a path to the garage, where hopefully Grim would be okay.

"Back you monsters! Back!" shouted a voice from the garage, making Ratchet breathe out a sigh of relief " Stay away from my tools you beasts!"

"Grim!" shouted Ratchet, blasting some Proto-pets as he ran inside.

"Ratchet!" said Grim from upstairs, happy to see the Lombax "Get those creatures out of here! They're ruining my store!"

Happy to oblige, Ratchet continued to fight against the Proto-pets, trying to clear them all out of Grim's garage. Chewed up parts and machine pieces lie scattered everywhere, making it difficult to maneuver around, but the danger was dwindling, no matter how little the progress seemed.

"Clank!" said Ratchet " Any luck on improving Angela's device?"

"I'm pretty sure I managed to get most of the bugs fixed" said Clank, having had hastily worked on the invention as they continued to battle along " but the signal is to weak to deactivate this many Proto-pets at once. We need to find a way to boost the power somehow."

Hastily Ratchet thought, thinking about what they could use on Veldin to help boost the signal on the device. After a moment, his brain got an idea.

"I've got it!" Ratchet said " Hang on Clank, we're about to fly."

With that said, Ratchet jetted himself and his robot companion straight out Grim's garage, and towards the small town built near the center of the plateau.

"There it is!" said Ratchet, as they soared closer to holo-vid station " That broadcast antenna should give us the exact signal boost we need. Let's move Clank!"

* * *

While Ratchet and Clank sped their way towards the giant antenna, Brax and Cora were encountering difficulty along the ground.

These Proto-pets were all vicious beasts, and Brax screamed outward in pain and as one these monsters managed to bite him brutally on the arm.

"Brax!" said Cora, immediately coming to his defense, blasting away several Proto-pets with her gun.

" I'm alright" said Brax, holding his arm " There's to many of them of them though, we have to fall back."

"Wait, no!" said Cora, instantly in denial of the plan " We can't…,"

"Guys hang on!" said Elaris's voice through Cora and Brax's communicators "Ratchet and Clank seemed to have found a solution. Just hold on for a bit more okay."

* * *

At the broadcast antenna, Clank was doing nothing but holding on as he slowly climbed his way to the top, while Ratchet fought off the Proto-pets swarming hungrily below.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally reached the tower's control box, but eventually Clank found himself there, and immediately set on hooking up the antenna's signal output with Angela's device.

"Hurry Clank!" shouted Ratchet from below, knocking another Proto-pet away with his wrench.

"Got it!" said Clank, activating the device, and seconds later, a high-pitched sonic wave blanketed the entire surface, and the Proto-pets screamed and turned away, deforming from monsters, back into harmless pets.

A big sigh of relief could be felt once the danger had ceased, and Ratchet and Clank looked at each other with expressions of cheer. They had saved their home, and all seemed well.

"Hahahaha!"

Well…until that laugh that is.

Peering up to the top of another building the duo glared, catching sight of Dr. Nefarious and butler Lawrence, enjoying a top side view to all the damage they caused Ratchet's home.

"Heh, congratulations Lomabax" said Dr. Nefarious " You've stopped this part of my scheme, but have yet to face the true threat. And soon all squishy life will be doomed!"

With that said, Dr. Nefarious and Lawrence disappeared, teleporting back to their ship and taking off before Elaris could lock on to their ship, and track them down with the Phoenix.

They had won this battle, but the war raged on. As long as Dr. Nefarious was still out there, no citizen in the entire Solana Galaxy was safe, ever.


	13. Chapter 13: Gearing Nightmares

**Ch.13: Gearing Nightmares**

Things were eerily silent after the attack on Veldin, and the Galactic Rangers returned to their base on Kerwan, having no clue where Dr. Nefarious would strike next.

The mystery of the inevitable disturbed them all, and the President agreed that certain sacrifices had to be made if they were to withstand the evil doctor's next assault.

So, although it was met with great dislike, Captain Qwark was released from prison and pardoned, rejoining the ranger core.

Needless to say, the Captain wasn't immediately welcomed upon his return. And even though he said he was sorry, and promised to do everything he could do to help them beat Nefarious, his fellow rangers weren't quick to immediately trust his word.

Ratchet didn't blame them, but right now, his mind was focused on more important things than whether Qwark would betray them again.

Clank could feel the animosity rising up off of Ratchet's fur.

The Lombax was still severely upset about the attack that had happened on Veldin. How Grim could have been eaten alive if they had not arrived in time to save him from the Proto-pet assault.

Nefarious had effectively declared an act of war when attacking Ratchet's home planet. And whatever the mad scientist planned next, Ratchet was determined to take him down.

However, where could have Nefarious had gone? And what other plan besides the vicious Proto-pet could he have up his sleeve?

The Rangers sat in their meeting room right now, trying to figure out an answer to these questions.

"Alright" said Elaris, speaking up " We have a way to beat the Proto-pets now thanks to Ratchet and Clank, but there's no doubt that Nefarious is still producing them in some underground factory. If we want to stop the Proto-pets for good, we need to find that factory and destroy it."

"Any idea where it could be?" asked Cora.

"Yes" said Elaris, pointing to the screen " I'm 70.9% sure that it might be on Umbris, where the Deplanetizer crashed a year ago."

"Makes sense" said Brax " he could have scavenged all the parts he needs."

"Then we need to strike fast!" said Qwark " Tomorrow, we all go down to Umbris and take Nefarious down!"

"Agreed," said Ratchet, and the Rangers dismissed themselves to bed.

Clank took up his favorite position beside Ratchet's bed, before shutting down into sleep mode and descending into dreams. The thought of attacking Nefarious's stronghold weighing heavily on his mind.

"Wha? Where am I?" said Clank, when darkness suddenly slammed down on his dream.

"Clank! Clank!" screamed Ratchet's voice as the Lombax suddenly ran up grabbing his buddy's arm. " Come on, let's go!"

"You're not anywhere," said Nefarious's voice as the villain appeared, his robotic body seemed to be about ten times as large.

Before Ratchet and Clank could even flee, Clank found himself being pulled away from Ratchet's strong grip as he wound up caged inside the mad doctor's hand.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Dr. Nefarious, his voice sending out a creepy chill.

Suddenly, Clank found himself being tortured again. All of the pain he had suffered under Nefarious's gaze returned back to him in a flash.

The electricity painfully surging through his circuits, the vile words as they left Dr. Nefarious's mouth, and tinkering he knew that meant to change him, revert him back to his warbot ways, become a killer, a beast.

"No! No!" cried Clank, as the world around his eyes suddenly shifted and changed.

He was no longer in Ratchet's room, but outside on planet Kerwan, watching the city and Galactic Headquarters burn. Dead bodies lay scattered in the streets, blood pouring out from their helpless souls.

Desperate to see if anyone was still alive, Clank ran around several corpses until he spotted one familiar to his eye.

"Ratchet!" said Clank, running up to his weary friend.

The poor Lombax was in terrible condition. Cuts and bruises were slashed all over his body, seeping red into his gold fur, as he heavily breathed to keep himself awake, his green eyes drooping, halfway closed.

Clank was horrified to see the sight, and stepped back stunned as Ratchet spoke to him before blacking out on the ground.

"Clank…why did you do this?"

"Me?" thought Clank stunned " No! I…would never do this!"

"You're evil Clank" said Dr. Nefarious, making the robot look up as he stepped out of the smoke with some robotic minions " It's hopeless to defy your true nature. You were built to destroy. You will help me get my revenge."

"No," said Clank, putting his hands on his head and closing his eyes to disbelieve it.

Flashes of Victor, the storm, Dr. Nefarious, and Ratchet's death all surged through his head.

"This just a dream!" said Clank " Wake me up!"

Seconds later, the robot jolted awake in actual reality, and was pleased to see that he was now back safe and sound in Ratchet's room.

The Lombax was no longer bleeding or hurt. He was no longer dead. He was safe. Safe and alive.

Clank breathed out a sigh of relief, barely catching glimpse of a glowing blue object as it flew quickly out of the room.

What was that? Was that really just there? Or was this just a side effect from his dream?

He was tired. Maybe he should lie back down to rest.

But as Clank did and he re-shut down, he was unaware that his eye color had changed. The mirror standing on the far side of Ratchet's bed caught the eerie reflection, as the tiny robot's once green eyes shined red.


	14. Chapter 14: Stumble On Umbris

**Ch.14: Stumble On Umbris**

Meanwhile, on the planet Umbris, Dr. Nefarious was counting down the hours to when his guests were expected to arrive. The Galactic Rangers didn't know it, but Nefarious knew that they were coming.

They were so worried about his Proto-pet operation, that they would come all the way here to destroy, having no idea of the real terror that was in store.

Those little fuzz-balls were disposable now. The real fun was about to begin.

"Excuse me Sir," said Lawrence, suddenly entering the room " our scanners have picked up a small group of ships about to penetrate Umbris's atmosphere."

"Finally" said Nefarious, wringing his hands " Begin Phase 3. The end, starts now."

* * *

Minutes later, the Galactic Rangers touched down on the surface of Umbris, and whistled at the sight of the empire Nefarious had managed to build for himself.

"Whoa," said Ratchet, as he looked around.

Even though the Lombax was still angry about what Nefarious did to Clank and attacking Veldin, he couldn't help but to be amazed. Though his wonder was short-lived.

"Alright Rangers" said Qwark to his team " you all know the plan. Let's go in and shut this Proto-pet operation down."

Nodding their agreement, the Rangers charged ahead and then split up, separating into two separate units once they entered the fortress's walls. Cora and Brax split in one direction, while Qwark joined Ratchet and Clank in the other.

Although a little questionable about the team-up, Ratchet knew that Qwark was a very valuable ally to have on hand, and let the captain take front, while he and Clank followed behind.

As expected, defenses greeted them almost as soon as they rounded the corner, and they had to blast away with their guns. The Zurkons proved to be the most annoying.

Seriously, why did these guys always have to pop out nowhere and say 'Yoohoo', pretending that they were ghosts? Boo!...We have lasers, better run for the hills!

Ratchet didn't let their ghost tricks frighten him this time, and destroyed the Zurkons quickly, having learned from his experience with Chairman Drek.

"Nice work little buddy" said Qwark to Ratchet, as he moved ahead " This door looks like it leads to the heart of the factory. I'll pry it open, and you and Clank get ready to step inside."

"Got it" said Ratchet, and spoke back to Clank " Are you ready to go pal?"

Concern gripped him when the robot didn't answer.

"Clank?" asked Ratchet again, and this time Clank heard.

"Yes?" responded Clank, guiltily, having had something else on his mind.

That answer only increased the worry on Ratchet's mind.

"You okay pal?" he asked.

Ever since this morning, before they left for Umbris, Clank seemed a little distracted and disturbed. Elaris had noticed it first, and informed Ratchet, but the Lombax figured it would fade with time.

Now though, he wasn't so sure. It seemed like Elaris was right that something was majorly wrong.

Nefarious…that was the only excuse Ratchet could think of. The only reason Clank would ever be distracted or feeling scared.

Although the little robot was brave in still wanting help the Galactic Rangers stop Nefarious and all the Proto-pets, Clank had been captured and tortured by the villain's own evil hands.

"It will be alright Clank" said Ratchet, his anger returned " I promised that I would never let Nefarious hurt you again."

"Thank you Ratchet," said Clank softly, and then they finally got word from Qwark that he opened the door.

The next moment, Ratchet and Clank entered inside the room, and beheld the assembly line to Dr. Nefarious's whole Proto-pet making scheme.

It was sinister, just like they expected, with the little monsters popping out from left and right, forced into sleep before being stored, ready to terrorize another planet.

"Alright Clank" said Ratchet to his partner as the robot hopped his back " force feed the signal from Angela's device into these guys while Qwark and I set up the charges. Brax and Cora are setting the others up in the other corners of the base."

Nodding that he understood, Clank walked over to the assembly line's computer and began to hack his way inside while Qwark and Ratchet got to work.

"Success" said Clank a few seconds later, as the entirety of Nefarious's mainframe opened up before him " now I just have to…,"

"Alert! Alert! Hacker detected! Activating defense Zeta protocol!"

With that said, the entire room started flashing red, and the sounds of robotic feet could be heard coming into the room.

"Rats!" said Ratchet, leaving the detonator he was setting up to sprint back to Clank, and run him and the robot out of the room. " So much for that plan. Qwark, cut that way! I'll destroy the line."

Nodding that he understood, Qwark took off into a separate chamber, while Ratchet headed for the back door of the assembly plant, an explosive trigger clutched in his hand.

"Intruders! Intruders!" came the sounds of the robot guards as they finally made their way inside, and that's when Ratchet pushed the trigger.

Instantly, the whole assembly line went up in flames, guards, Proto-pets and all.

Ratchet hoped that the explosive sounds meant that Dr. Nefarious's plans were truly stopped for good, but he didn't dare look backwards in order to confirm, and just kept on running straight, until he and Clank entered a large, main room.

"Well, well, well" said Dr. Nefarious, surprising Ratchet and Clank as he descended down on a floating platform, with Lawrence by his side " it's about time that you finally got here. I was almost worried that you wouldn't live long enough to meet your end."

"That's an oxymoron Sir," stated Lawrence.

"Shut up Lawrence" said Dr. Nefarious, then focused his attention back down on the two. "You caused me a lot of trouble Lombax, turning me into this! I've spent a long time scheming on how I would pay you back."

"But then again" he continued " they started it first, and now the Galactic Rangers have suffered the price."

With that said, doors in the chamber suddenly opened up, allowing the Galactic Rangers to step through. However, they were no longer heroic and looked drastically changed. Ratchet gasped at the horror of what his idols had become.

Qwark, Brax, and Cora, all who were once flesh and blood, had now been heartlessly turned into machines. Weapons of destruction meant to follow Nefarious's evil will, and destroy all squishies, eliminating them into dust.

A growl rose up in Ratchet's throat, as Clank hopped his back, and he glared at the doctor, fist tightening around his wrench.

"Nefarious" the Lombax shouted " How could you do this?!"

"Quite easily actually" said Nefarious " since I knew how you and your group would act the moment they arrived."

"What do you mean?" asked Ratchet.

"I knew that you Galactic fools would come here" said Nefarious " trying to ruin my Proto-pet plan, but that plan was only a fun diversion to set things up for my real evil scheme, turning the whole galaxy into machines! A remarkable improvement don't ya think?"

"You changed me into a robot, and now I'll make you suffer as the only survivor, losing everything that you once cared about, with no way to stop it. The Galactic Rangers, your home, and even your partner, Clank."

"Clank, No!" said Ratchet as the tiny robot hovered over to where Dr. Nefarious stood, his eyes no longer friendly green, but red.

"No," Ratchet thought.

Is this what Elaris meant when she thought Clank was acting strange? Was there some kind of program the technician missed, giving Nefarious complete control?

Clank was Nefarious's design after all, created to destroy and eliminate everything in his path. The villain knew the ins and outs of his machinery better than anyone, even Elaris, and Clank had been his prisoner for a long time before Ratchet came.

"See you in the next life," laughed Nefarious, as he, Lawrence, and Clank disappeared.

With that said, the robot rangers charged and dived in, fighting the heartbroken Ratchet as he countered back, frustration and tears masking his pain.

"Clank no…Nefarious…Grr!...I'll make you pay for this!"


	15. Chapter 15: Vision of Hope

**Ch.15: Vision of Hope**

Ratchet grunted, his heart pumping with rage and adrenaline as he battled his way past his robot friends. The now mechanized Galactic Rangers were just as tough as their flesh and blood forms.

Qwark and Brax narrowly missed Ratchet with their guns or strong blows, and Cora's enhanced speed proved to be a hassle, making it very difficult to dodge.

"I can't afford to stay here any longer" thought Ratchet, as he wacked Brax and Cora with his Omni-wrench " I have to get to Clank!"

Finally, an opening seemed to appear, and Ratchet dashed his way out towards freedom. Lasers blasting behind him, and corridor filled with deadly turns and obstacles in the front, getting back to the ships wasn't easy, but Ratchet made it.

Before he took off, Ratchet quickly pressed a button, activating the explosives he and the Rangers had placed inside of Nefarious's factory, blowing the plant up as he boosted into space. The destructive dust cloud was the perfect distraction as to stall the robot rangers as Ratchet made it out alive.

However, only seconds after he was sure he had successfully escaped, worry came to haunt the Lombax's mind.

"Clank, Clank…," over and over again, Ratchet thought of his friend, and how evil his eyes seemed before he walked over to the doc and quickly disappeared.

"I should have noticed something was wrong!" thought Ratchet " I should have asked Elaris to examine him again! But…Clank…,"

Ratchet's thoughts slipped as he closed his eyes, tears falling out the ducts.

Suddenly, a strange image seemed to play inside of his mind.

Surrounded by a ring of creepy, blue aura, Allero City appeared inside of Ratchet's head, sky glowing red as the city burned. Citizens screamed as a giant, orb-like machine floated in the sky, with Nefarious, Lawrence, and Clank riding inside it.

Clank stood near the power core of the machine, metal reflecting the orange light, as his eyes continued to glow that evil red Ratchet saw before Dr. Nefarious took him away.

As if sensing the Lombax's presence, Clank turned his eyes towards Ratchet as the vision drew him closer, quickly changing to black.

For a moment, in that darkness, all Ratchet could feel was hatred and fear, but then, there was a pulse, and Ratchet's heart sparked with hope as he heard a familiar voice speak through his mind.

"Ratchet…Help me,"

In an instant, Ratchet opened his eyes, snapping awake back in the ship. A smile formed from his mouth, as he wiped his eyes from tears.

Clank…Clank was still there…fighting with all of his might to break out…wanting to be set free.

"I won't let you down pal," thought Ratchet, as he pushed harder on the throttle and blasted the ship faster through space.

His best friend was counting on him, and Ratchet was determined not to let him down.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Allero City, Elaris sat worriedly, twitching her thumbs, as she waited for news that her fellow Galactic Rangers had successfully managed to stop Nefarious and his villainous schemes.

The air was always tense in these situations. The pain of the wait dragging on for what seemed like a long time.

"I just hope Clank is okay," thought Elaris, worried about her assistant's strange state.

Clank had been acting a little weird before he had left with the others. His mind seemed to be focused somewhere else, and Elaris was almost sure that she saw Clank's eyes go red for a few seconds before they switched back to normal green.

Elaris immediately informed Ratchet about her concerns, and made mental note to herself to scan Clank's systems as soon as he came back.

"Did I miss something when we got him back from Nefarious?" the scientist worried in her mind. " Maybe he did more damage to Clank than we realized"

Before Elaris could continue her disturbing thoughts however, the scientist's attention was suddenly turned towards the screens when the alarm flashed on bright and red.

Her mouth opened up in horror when she saw that Allero City was under attack.

The citizens needed help, and she was the only Ranger still around who could help them.

After pressing a button to alert her team to the situation, in hopes that they would be back soon to help, Elaris raced off to strap on her gear and head off towards the city. Kerwan needed to be saved!

* * *

Meanwhile, up inside of his flying fortress called the Biobilterator, Dr. Nefarious grinned evilly as his vile machine floated around, wreaking havoc on Kerwan. The sounds of screams were like sweet music to his sensors. Soon the squishy plague would be at an end!

"Look out there Clank" said Nefarious, motioning down to the ground below " This is our era."

The tiny robot said nothing, just stood silently, and stared.


	16. Chapter 16: The Zoni Worry

**Ch.16: The Zoni Worry**

Meanwhile, far away, in the center of the universe, give or take fifty feet, a powerful Zoni called Orvus floated silently, alone inside of the Great Clock, as he feared about his son's future.

Dark pulses had begun flowing through time, and Orvus somehow knew that his son was involved. He had taken a great risk at allowing his heir to be built on Quartu, but his Zoni soul was pure, and quickly counteracted the evil programming installed in him from birth.

However, now, that soul was in danger, and if it couldn't be saved soon, Orvus feared that all would be lost.

His only hope now was the friend his son made, only a few short minutes after becoming online.

"Go to him Ratchet. Save my son. Protect Clank."

* * *

Back in Allero City, Elaris found herself fighting a losing battle, as the citizens around her were either eliminated or turned into machines.

Her ranger skills were good, but they were not sharp enough to do any permanent damage to Nefarious.

"Ha!" laughed Nefarious, as the female scientist fell down on her knees. " Pathetic. And to think that last time I actually tried to convince you to join me. Now you will die like the loser you are."

"No," thought Elaris in her mind, even though she knew that this was a reality she could not escape.

It seemed inevitable that Nefarious would kill her one day. Briefly, Elaris's mind flash-backed to the past, to the time when she had first joined the Galactic Rangers.

She was so excited that day. The former scientist of the Galactic Rangers had quit, opening up an opportunity for her to join.

Since she was young, she had heard of these heroes, and was eager to help them in their fight against crime. Elaris could only imagine what her lab would look like, and the wonderful technology that would be at her fingertips to invent.

Disappointment came however as she was shown that her lab would be inside of a crowded, broom closet, and afterward that she was not very appreciated on the team. She was just a tool to make weapons for the Rangers, and that was it. Plus, becoming a victim to Qwark's bullying, who never saw her as more valuable as a wad of gum on his shoe.

Elaris now understood completely why her predecessor had quit. If this was the way the Rangers treated her now, she could imagine what they did to him.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait for to long, as one day, Nefarious came back, attacking Allero City, and burning buildings to the ground. It was up to the Galactic Rangers to put a stop to their former member.

Nefarious singled Elaris out as his replacement right away, and commented about how she must be suffering the same way he did, never getting an apology for their hurtful crimes!

Elaris agreed that she hated the treatment, but what Nefarious was doing was wrong, and they had to stop him.

"Suit yourself," said Nefarious, and a tough battle began.

Eventually, after about an hour of struggle, Elaris finally came up with a battle plan, and the Rangers were able to stop Nefarious in his tracks.

The press was quick to cover the story, and Elaris frowned as Captain Qwark stepped in and stole her credit for being the one who had beaten Nefarious. Cora and Brax dragged the villain along by her, and Elaris could just barely make out Nefarious's vile voice.

"They'll never appreciate you,"

The words were true, and the torment continued, but when Ratchet and Clank came all that changed. Now she was seen as part of the team, no longer a useless shadow that lay hiding behind the scenes.

However, thanks to Nefarious right now, she might as well become a shadow, of nothing more than ashes and dust.

However, before Nefarious could pull the trigger on his Biobilterator, and eliminate Elaris right then and there, that when the female soldier's miraculous backup arrived.

Shooting in as he flew down with his ship, Ratchet blasted away the gun that Nefarious at Elaris, and ejected out to land next to the female in his proto-suit, Omni-Wrench out and ready to smash.

"Grrr, Lombax!" shouted Nefarious when he saw Ratchet, the ranger just glared.

"So" the villain decided to continue " you think you can stop me huh? Well, I just a little surprise for you. Clank!"

"Yes Master," said the tiny robot, joining Nefarious on the bridge.

"Annihilate him!"

"Yes Sir," said Clank, and stepped up the edge of the bridge, ready to jump down to ground below.

Clank jumped, and Nefarious threw out a blue disk that he kept in his invisible pocket's side.

"Disk! Make my creation grow!"

With that said, a blue glow engulfed Clank for a brief minute, and the robot, that had been so tiny before, now transformed into massive size. Ratchet and Elaris were stunned to see how giant Clank came to be.

Super strong and deadly, those were the only words to describe…

Ratchet gulped. How was he going to beat this?


	17. Chapter 17: Reaching The Heart

**Ch.17: Reaching the Heart**

"Ratchet look out!" yelled Elaris as Giant Clank pointed his guns down at the Lombax, snapping the hero out of his daze.

Resifting his focus, Ratchet quickly sprinted towards Elaris as the bullets, grabbed the female scientist by the arm, and activated his jets so that they could quickly escape the deadly barrage.

"I have to get through to Clank" thought Ratchet " My pal is still in there."

The vision from earlier still played clear in Ratchet's mind. But before he could cleanse his pal of Nefarious's evil programming, he had to get Elaris somewhere safe first.

Quickly searching for a safe place amongst the ruin, Ratchet eventually found what seemed to be a promising candidate, before diving himself and Elaris behind it just as Clank fired a missile and missed.

"Heh" breathed Ratchet with relief, as the smoke from the exploding missile gave him and Elaris a chance to head for deeper cover. " This spot should be safe enough for now. You wait here Elaris."

"Ratchet wait" said Elaris, grabbing the Lombax's arm " where are you going?"

"I have to get to Clank" said Ratchet " and after that I'm going to stop Nefarious once and for all."

"Don't be foolish" said Elaris " You'll never make it on your own."

With that said, Elaris struggled to get back on her feet so that she could help, only to fall down again, still weary after her battle with Nefarious. Ratchet smiled at her effort, and leaned in close to the scientist's ear.

"I'll be fine" said Ratchet " besides you need to recover and are our best chance in stopping Nefarious's machine. You figure out how to do that, and I'll go rescue Clank from Nefarious's control."

With that said, Ratchet jetted off, leaving Elaris behind.

* * *

Things were going well in Nefarious's eyes as he marveled at the destruction of the Allero City and the success of his Gaint Clank machine. Yes, truly his plan had been genius from the start.

First, steal the Proto-Pet designs and frame Qwark for the crime. Then, infiltrate Galactic Headquarters and steal back his machine, Clank.

Reprogramming the tiny robot proved to be a difficult task, but after a little 'convincing', Nefarious had to admit that he was very pleased with the results.

Now, he had conquered Allero City, nearly all of his enemies were gone, and his greatest foe, Ratchet, was broken, torn about what happened to his best friend.

"Nefarious!" screamed out a yell.

Speak of the devil, Ratchet came speeding in, swinging his wrench at the robot's skull. Nefarious barely had any time to act as he was suddenly knocked off his precious Biobilterator and landed harshly on the ground.

"Ouch!" he complained, as he struggled to stand back on his feet and glared at the Lombax wanting to fight.

"Grr!" Nefarious growled " So Ratchet, you want to fight? Bring it!"

And with that said, the battle began as both Ratchet and Nefarious charged. Nefarious quickly proved himself to be formidable foe, using every weapon his metal body contained in order to eliminate Ratchet from the face of the earth.

Using what he remembered from his ranger training, Ratchet quickly dodged and countered some of the blasts, striking damage to Nefarious while obtaining some small damage to himself. If it wasn't for the proto-suit protecting his body, Ratchet surely would have fell a long time ago.

But Nefarious had to pay for all he had done to the city, and to Clank. This villain had to die!

Finally, an opening appeared to Ratchet as he sped in close, and wacked his Omni-wrench hard against Nefarious's head. The robotic tyrant fell, tumbling on the ground, a crack emblazed on the green part of his skull.

"Grr!" growled Nefarious, as he became aware of the damage " You will pay for that!"

"It's over Nefarious," said Ratchet, walking up to the downed villain. He raised his wrench, ready to finish the robot off.

"Is it?" grinned Nefarious, and before Ratchet could react, a giant, metal hand suddenly clutched around his chest, jerking him into the air, until he was suddenly at eye level with Giant Clank, cringing under the redness of his glare.

"Well done Lawrence!" cried Nefarious, congratulating his butler standing in the hover Biolbilterator from up above.

"Sorry I'm a little late Sir" said Lawrence " but I thought it was best to get some help."

"Never mind that!" said Nefarious " Now crush him! Squeeze him into tiny bits!"

"As you wish Sir" said Lawrence turning to Clank " If you please?"

Nodding in order to obey his master's command, Clank tightened his grip on the helpless Lombax in palm, seeking to drain out every last essence of Ratchet's life.

"Clank No!" cried Ratchet as he struggled to breathe " You don't have to this!"

But his words fell on deaf ears, as Clank's spirit seemed to far gone in order to hear the sound of his friend's voice.

This was how life was about to end, crushed by his best pal, oh if only a miracle could occur. Suddenly, in his fading vision, a small dark figure with a glowing blue aura came into Ratchet's sight, looking alien and robotic, yet whispering something that the Lombax just couldn't hear.

"Please, help me," Ratchet begged in his mind, not caring for whatever this new creature was.

Seconds after he had thought that, Ratchet's vision suddenly was blinded by a bright, blue glow, and every thought in the Lombax's mind, vanished with that blue light.

* * *

"Ugh," Clank groaned, as his bright green eyes slowly flared back into consciousness " Where am I?"

The tiny robot was confused, everything around him seemed dark, and his limbs were immobile, barely able to move. The cause for this immobility was that he was entangled in a web of wires, restraining his arms and legs. Who tied him up here? Where had he gone? Silence gripped the air as flashes of memory suddenly flashed through the robot's mind.

A burning city, Nefarious's torture, red eyes, screaming, Nefarious's laugh…

"Oh my" thought Clank, his mouth descending into a frown " What…what have I done?"

"Ratchet," thought Clank, thinking about his best friend for a second. " No, no this just can't be true!"

But inside his circuits Clank knew it was. He was responsible for a great sin, and his best friend, Ratchet, was in danger for this flaw.

"Clank! Clank!" suddenly called out a voice cutting through the gloom.

"Ratchet?" Clank wondered, confused. How…how could it be?

"Clank! Clank!" called out the voice again. " Come on pal, where are you?"

Ratchet was calling him. Clank needed to escape. But how? He couldn't move.

Chastising himself for thinking so negatively, Clank pushed all of those hopeless thoughts aside and narrowed his eyes in determination as forced his body, struggling to break of the tangle of wires that held him bound.

After a few long minutes of struggle, Clank felt himself break free, and collapsed upon the dark floor, Ratchet's voice still ringing in his ears.

"I'm coming," thought Clank, and was about to run to where his best friend called when suddenly an eerie-sounding voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Clank turned around and gasped in surprise when her glimpsed the person who spoke. It looked like a dark reflection of himself, with shining red eyes, and an evil sneer that looked absolutely demonic in its state.

"Who are you?" asked Clank.

"Who do you think?" said the darker version " The evil locked deep inside of yours circuits. The force Nefarious had unleashed. We are both Clank, but if you wish to call me by a separate title, you may call me Klunk. And you shall never leave. Never reunite with that dreadful Lombax again."

"Ratchet is not dreadful!" said Clank miffed " I do not appreciate you speaking so poorly of my best friend."

"Then come stop me" said Klunk " If you win, I might even allow you to leave this place."

"Very well then" said Clank, dropping into a fighting stance " On guard!"

Within seconds the two tiny robots charged towards each other, letting the fists fly as they met in the middle, trying to do damage to the other bot. Clank was surprised at first that Klunk seemed able to predict his every move, but then thought that if Klunk was truly the dark side of him, every tactic he made was useless and destined to fail.

A few seconds later, Clank found himself pinned to the ground by his dark side, struggling to stand.

"It's over Clank," growled Klunk, ready to finish his counterpart off " This is the end."

"Clank! Clank!" suddenly called out a voice, and in the next second, Klunk was surprised when he was suddenly knocked hard off of Clank's body, landing painfully on the floor.

Growling with frustration, the evil robot stood up in rage and glared back in order to see who had dared knock him to the ground. His red eyes widened with surprise as soon as he saw Ratchet standing there along with a strange, blue-glowing creature floating beside him.

How? How could he be here?!

Clank wondered the same thing as Ratchet bent down to help lift him off the floor.

"Let's go home Clank," said the Lombax.

"No!" yelled Klunk, trying to stop the pair before they could depart.

The Zoni beside Ratchet had different ideas. As soon as he saw Klunk running towards them, he floated out in front of Ratchet and Clank and flashed out a brillant light, knocking Klunk back with such force that he ended up being tangled in the very same wires that Clank was trapped in earlier.

The prison was made even more permanent when the cords started tightening around Klunk's limbs, snaring him in their invincible grasp.

"Let's go," said Ratchet to Clank.

"Grr!" growled Klunk, glaring at the pair " You'll never escape me Clank! I'll always be here inside of you! You're a Warbot! A destroyer is who you are meant to be!"

"No" said Clank, shaking his head " I am a Galactic Ranger."

And with that final sentence, and a final blinding flash, Ratchet, Clank, and the Zoni completely disappeared.


	18. Chapter 18: A Robot's Guilt

**Ch.18: A Robot's Guilt**

Despite all of the chaos, Elaris was surprised that she had somehow managed to make it back inside of Galactic HQ and bolt herself in the lab. The scene outside was horrible, and Ratchet somehow expected her to make everything right.

"You're our only hope Elaris," the Lombax's voice came ringing through the female's head.

"Ratchet," whispered Elaris in her mind. She hoped that the Lombax was doing well, and that he would be able to get Clank free of Nefarious's grasp.

How could one scientist ever become so evil that he committed crimes against both nature and machines?

"I have to find a way to reverse this," thought Elaris, and started typing away at the keyboard, focusing on all she had learned.

Slowly, the workings of the Biobilterator became a bit more clear, and a spark of hope began to light up in her soul.

"That's it!" thought Elaris, excited " Brilliant!"

She began typing away. Before the end came, Nefarious was going down!

* * *

Meanwhile, outside on the battlefield, Nefarious was grinning as far as his metal jaw could extend as he watched Ratchet about to be crushed by the hands of his very own pal. Giant Clank held the Lombax tight in his grip, and was squeezing until the very light in Ratchet's eyes went out.

Finally, the end had come for his enemy. Ratchet would soon be no more than a giant lump of squishy paste! But then, as he was laughing at the thought, Nefarious started to notice that something was wrong.

The crushing has stopped, and both parties looked still, as if time had suddenly froze.

"Lawrence! What's going on here?" Nefarious shouted to his butler.

"I don't know Sir" responded Lawrence, from the Biobilterator's deck "Clank just suddenly stopped responding to commands."

"Well fix it!" yelled Nefarious.

"I can't Sir!" said Lawrence " Maybe if you give me an hour or two…,"

"Bah!" said Nefarious " That's to long! I guess I'll just have to finish this myself."

With that said, Dr. Nefarious got to his feet and started climbing up Giant Clank, scaling the large robot until he reached the part where Ratchet was trapped. The Lombax didn't move as Nefarious approached, his entire face seemed frozen with fear.

"Perfect" thought Nefarious " then he'll die with it!"

But just before the mechanical villain could land the killing blow, Ratchet's expression of fear vanished, and he smashed his Omni-wrench right into Nefarious's skull.

Bow!...came the wack, followed by a scream, as Nefarious flew, landing on the deck next to Lawrence, shocked by just what had occurred.

When he regained his focus, he looked back towards the duo, surprised to see Ratchet smiling and unharmed, but most of all shocked when he spotted Giant Clank's eyes, no longer glaring red, but vibrant green. Nefarious had lost total control. Clank was himself again.

"No!" Nefarious screamed, pounding against the deck " I can't believe this!"

"Believe it Nefarious!" called out Ratchet, turning to Clank " Care to the honors partner?"

"Indeed," said Clank, and then smashed the Biobilterator to kingdom come.

An explosion rocked the air as Lawrence and Nefarious were sent tumbling to the ground. Their magnificent machine had been destroyed, but all the chaos they caused was still there. There was no way…

"What?" Nefarious yelled, as a sudden green pulse echoed out from the top of Galactic HQ.

Elaris had completed her reverse program and just in time. Every person the Biobilterator had infected was now undone. They were no longer slaved to serve as machines and the destruction of Allero City stopped.

Clank found the size pad Nefarious had thrown on the ground, and put Ratchet down before he returned to normal size. It felt good to be himself again, but he still felt guilty about the part he had in Nefarious's scheme.

"We'll meet again Ratchet!" yelled Nefarious, interrupting Clank from his thoughts, and the little robot gasped in surprise to find Nefarious fly away, with Lawrence following close behind him.

"That creep!" Ratchet growled " I'll make sure to get him one day. Hey are you okay pal?"

"Yes" said Clank " but look at all the damage that has been done. It will take a long time to get things back in order here."

"You got that right" said Ratchet " and we still need to turn Qwark and the others back to normal back on Quartu."

"Elaris's machine should help out with that" said Clank " We should meet up with her,"

"Yeah, let's go!" said Ratchet, walking away a bit, before he stopped and turned, noticing that Clank wasn't following " What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing" said Clank, shaking his head, ridding his thoughts of the evil program locked away in his mind " Just…Thank you Ratchet. Thank you for everything."

Ratchet smiled, and then bent down to give Clank a hug.

"Anytime Pal."

* * *

Far away, a Zoni named Orvus smiled as he watched the two friends.

"You did well Clank. You did well."

 **The End**


End file.
